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Sookie Stackhouse #13.6 - The Blue Hereafter
Games Creatures Play
Welcome to the wide world of paranormal pastimes, where striking out might strike you dead. Editors Charlaine Harris and Toni L. P. Kelner are your announcers for this collection of the most peculiar plays ever made—including a story featuring Sookie Stackhouse and Manfred Bernardo…
Sports fans live and die by their teams’ successes and failures—though not literally. But these fifteen authors have written spirited—in more ways than one—tales of killer competitions that would make even the most die-hard players ask to be benched.
This anthology includes tales of unusual athletics
JAN BURKE • DANA CAMERON • ADAM-TROY CASTRO • BRENDAN DuBOIS • CHARLAINE HARRIS • TONI L. P. KELNER • CAITLIN KITTREDGE • WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER • ELLEN KUSHNER • MERCEDES LACKEY • JOE R. LANSDALE • LAURA LIPPMAN • SEANAN McGUIRE • BRANDON SANDERSON • SCOTT SIGLER
Sports fans live and die by their teams’ successes and failures—though not literally. But these fifteen authors have written spirited—in more ways than one—tales of killer competitions that would make even the most die-hard players ask to be benched.
This anthology includes tales of unusual athletics
JAN BURKE • DANA CAMERON • ADAM-TROY CASTRO • BRENDAN DuBOIS • CHARLAINE HARRIS • TONI L. P. KELNER • CAITLIN KITTREDGE • WILLIAM KENT KRUEGER • ELLEN KUSHNER • MERCEDES LACKEY • JOE R. LANSDALE • LAURA LIPPMAN • SEANAN McGUIRE • BRANDON SANDERSON • SCOTT SIGLER
369 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 1, 2014
46 people are currently reading
2845 people want to read
About the author
Charlaine Harris
203 books37k followersCharlaine Harris has been a published writer for over forty years. Her first two books were standalones, followed by a long sabbatical when she was having children. Then she began the Aurora Teagarden book, mysteries featuring a short librarian (eventually adapted for Hallmark movies). The darker Lily Bard books came next, about a house cleaner with a dark past and considerable fighting skills.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
Tired of abiding by the mystery rules, Harris wrote a novel about a telepathic barmaid that took at least two years to sell. When the book was published, it turned into a best seller, and DEAD UNTIL DARK and the subsequent Sookie books were adapted in Alan Ball's "True Blood" series. At the same time, Harris began the Harper Connelly books. Harper can find the bones of the dead and see their last minute.
When those two series wound to a close, the next three books were about a mysterious town in Texas, called Midnight.
A change in publisher and editor led to Harris's novels about a female gunslinger in an alternate America, Lizbeth Rose. The Gunnie Rose books concluded with the sixth novel.
She's thinking about what to write next.
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July 30, 2015
Games Creatures Play is an anthology of fifteen short stories edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L P Kelner. Fifteen very different stories from fifteen authors, including Scott Sigler, Laura Lippman and Brandon Sanderson; Harris and Kelner themselves also contribute. All the stories involve games, be they of the sporting type, children’s games or games of chance, and all involve some element of the supernatural.
Thus, the reader gets real-life Capture-the-Flag, Hide-and-Seek with malevolent gods or with horrific consequences for the found, a fight-night where a dead victim gets revenge, car racing with the Devil, lacrosse with ghosts, taking on in a game of chance, Greek wrestling with a shapeshifters, fencing in a French finishing school, shoe-skating on thin ice, roller derby with monsters, softball with psychics, a haunted candlepin alley and baseball in the Safeway.
Some of the stories are chilling, some are laugh-out-loud funny and some are just OK. At least one is so verbose it borders on being boring. Harris offers a meeting between Sookie Stackhouse and Manfred Bernardo that feels like a prelude to the Midnight, Texas novels. Kelner’s offering is clever, but the stand-out gem in this collection is Scott Sigler’s The Case of the Haunted Safeway, featuring Hunter Hunterson and family. This is a good chance to sample the wares of fifteen authors without committing to a full novel and worth reading for the Sigler story alone. A mixed bag.
3.5 ★s
Thus, the reader gets real-life Capture-the-Flag, Hide-and-Seek with malevolent gods or with horrific consequences for the found, a fight-night where a dead victim gets revenge, car racing with the Devil, lacrosse with ghosts, taking on in a game of chance, Greek wrestling with a shapeshifters, fencing in a French finishing school, shoe-skating on thin ice, roller derby with monsters, softball with psychics, a haunted candlepin alley and baseball in the Safeway.
Some of the stories are chilling, some are laugh-out-loud funny and some are just OK. At least one is so verbose it borders on being boring. Harris offers a meeting between Sookie Stackhouse and Manfred Bernardo that feels like a prelude to the Midnight, Texas novels. Kelner’s offering is clever, but the stand-out gem in this collection is Scott Sigler’s The Case of the Haunted Safeway, featuring Hunter Hunterson and family. This is a good chance to sample the wares of fifteen authors without committing to a full novel and worth reading for the Sigler story alone. A mixed bag.
3.5 ★s
September 28, 2021
Halloween Bingo 2021
Another new Bingo category this year, Lethal Games. I'd been searching for an excuse to read this anthology for some time and it fit beautifully. Cards, racing, roller derby, there's a little of everything. Many of the stories end up being about games of chance, bets made with the Devil or the Fair Folk to avoid certain fates or gain certain advantages. One story, by Mercedes Lackey, even combines the Fair Folk and the Devil in one story.
In the Blue Hereafter is a Charlaine Harris story which brings two of her storylines together. It was fun to get another glimpse of Sookie and see her effect on Manfred. I was surprised to see a story from Jan Burke, who I think of as a thriller writer. Here, she spins a Faerie tale in a very practiced fashion. Colour me impressed. Prise de Fer, by Ellen Kushner, is very reflective of her Swordspoint universe. Despite the fact that I figured out quickly what was going on, I still felt it was well presented. Special mention for The Case of the Haunted Safeway, a happily ever after ghost story; Jammed, a roller derby story featuring Antimony Price from Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series; and Hide and Shriek by Adam-Troy Castro, a very funny riff on the tentacled Horror.
I only really disliked one story, which is pretty amazing considering that in real life I’m an extremely reluctant game player (excepting Halloween Bingo of course).
Another new Bingo category this year, Lethal Games. I'd been searching for an excuse to read this anthology for some time and it fit beautifully. Cards, racing, roller derby, there's a little of everything. Many of the stories end up being about games of chance, bets made with the Devil or the Fair Folk to avoid certain fates or gain certain advantages. One story, by Mercedes Lackey, even combines the Fair Folk and the Devil in one story.
In the Blue Hereafter is a Charlaine Harris story which brings two of her storylines together. It was fun to get another glimpse of Sookie and see her effect on Manfred. I was surprised to see a story from Jan Burke, who I think of as a thriller writer. Here, she spins a Faerie tale in a very practiced fashion. Colour me impressed. Prise de Fer, by Ellen Kushner, is very reflective of her Swordspoint universe. Despite the fact that I figured out quickly what was going on, I still felt it was well presented. Special mention for The Case of the Haunted Safeway, a happily ever after ghost story; Jammed, a roller derby story featuring Antimony Price from Seanan McGuire’s InCryptid series; and Hide and Shriek by Adam-Troy Castro, a very funny riff on the tentacled Horror.
I only really disliked one story, which is pretty amazing considering that in real life I’m an extremely reluctant game player (excepting Halloween Bingo of course).
September 4, 2020
Dead on the Bones by Joe R. Lansdale ★★★★½
A boy takes quick advantage of a conjure man to allow his father to come back and avenge himself against the brother who killed him and the unfaithful wife who helped. I’m a sucker for a good revenge yarn.
In the Blue Hereafter by Charlaine Harris ★★★★☆
Zelda sends Manfred to Bon Temps where he meets Sookie Stackhouse. They watch a softball game but the real game is to figure out why Manfred was sent.
Stepping Into the Dead Zone by Jan Burke ★★★★☆
Sidhe stolen children reach there hundredth incarnation and must make a choice to stay or go to Fairy. One boy asks a boon to stay seven more years and ends up saving his comrades in Vietnam. Once a knight, always a knight.
On the Playing Fields of Blood by Brendan Dubois ★★★★☆
The best warriors, the best players of lacrosse, are immortal ghosts that come back through the mists in the field on the mountain. They take their revenge on whatever white players they find. The town knows, has known for hundreds of years, and buried the bones.
The God’s Games by Dana Cameron ★★★★☆
The fangborn! Yet another series I need to read. This story takes place in Roman times and the werewolf must prevent fratricide at the Games.
The Case of the Haunted Safeway by Scott Sigler ★★★★☆
“Once upon a time I was a racist asshole, and now i have a black son. And, once upon a time I didn’t think homosexuals capable of real love and I wind up the best man at a gay wedding. As my daddy once told me all you can ask from life is to keep learning.”
A family of ghost hunters comes across a tragic case of gay baseball players from the 1930s.
Hide and Shriek by Adam Troy Castro ★★★★☆
Really funny romp with the Elder Gods as bored children playing a game with their toys - humanity.
Hide and Seek by William Kent Krueger ★★★½☆
During the Great Depression twisted siblings opened their mansion as an orphaned to use the boys in a dark version of The Hunger Games. Years late, the house is still so haunted you can hear the screams at night. A house waiting for new occupants to feed it.
Bell, Book, and Candlepin by Toni L. P. Kelner ★★★☆☆
A sound witch working at a bowling alley deals with a curse.
Ice by Laura Lippman ★★½☆☆
A drowning girl saves the ghost of the girl who drowned/was murdered.
Prise De Fer by Ellen Kushner ★★☆☆☆
Sad fencing French ghost.
Dreamer by Brandon Sanderson ★★☆☆☆
Shorty about body snatchers playing games, and being sociopathic assholes, in Manhattan.
False Knight on the Road by Mercedes Lackey ★★☆☆☆
Prohibition era story of a runner boy racing the devil. It was surprisingly boring.
Jammed by Seanan McGuire ★★☆☆☆
InCryptid Derby Girls take on a chimera. It was cheesy and episodic.
The Devil Went Down to Boston by Caitlin Kittredge ★★☆☆☆
To save her thief junky brother a part fae girl will treat with demons. But she knows that even if she wins, things probably won’t get better. It was rather depressing.
Average rating 3.16, low three stars overall.
January 6, 2017
Read the Sookie story, since that's the only series that has a short story in here that I'm up to date on...
Also, YAY, Sookie meets Manfred Bernardo, an excellent character from her Harper Connelly series who also happens to be a major character in her new series about Midnight, Texas. :)
Will return to read the Brandon Sanderson story at some point, though I think it's a standalone and doesn't need any background reading.
Also, YAY, Sookie meets Manfred Bernardo, an excellent character from her Harper Connelly series who also happens to be a major character in her new series about Midnight, Texas. :)
Will return to read the Brandon Sanderson story at some point, though I think it's a standalone and doesn't need any background reading.
June 25, 2018
Anthologies are so hit or miss for me. While there were stories in here I very much enjoyed, I just couldn't make myself finish three of them (The Devil Went Down to Boston, On the Playing Fields of Blood, and The Case of the Haunted Safeway), and several others were not great, but I pushed through.
That said! I quite enjoyed In the Blue Hereafter; Prise de Fer; Jammed and Bell, Book, and Candle Pin.
Overall, not the worst anthology ever, but certainly not the best.
That said! I quite enjoyed In the Blue Hereafter; Prise de Fer; Jammed and Bell, Book, and Candle Pin.
Overall, not the worst anthology ever, but certainly not the best.
April 3, 2014
Games Creatures Play, edited by Charlaine Harris and Toni L.P. Kelner
A review by Jeanette Greaves
The game – produce an anthology of fifteen stories.
The rules – they must be short stories, they must include at least one supernatural creature such as a shapeshifter, fairy, vampire or ghost. They must include a strong element of a game or a sport. No author can contribute more than one story.
Go.
And thus was born 'Games Creatures Play' an anthology of fifteen stories, bracketed by Charlaine Harris's 'In The Blue Hereafter' at the beginning, and Toni L.P. Kelner's 'Bell, Book and Candlepin' at the end.
There is a great deal of variety in the stories, as you'd expect from such a wide brief. Some of the stories are all about the game or sport. Others, including those from the two editors, use the games as a background against which the story develops. Harris's story is a Sookie Stackhouse tale, nestled closely into the True Blood universe and its existing characters and mythos. It works nicely as a stand alone, whilst enticing a captured reader deeper into the bigger picture. Kelner's story works in a similar way, and I was surprised to find that it's only her second venture into this particular world of the Allaway Kith. There are some interesting ideas in this story, that I'd love to see explored further.
Most of the contributions to this collection are set in the approximate present of the 20th and the early 21st century. The exception is Dana Cameron's 'The God Games', a story about a man travelling to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, on a vital mission. The games and the sports are richly and authoritatively described, but take a back seat to the plot and the characters.
Anthologies are made for dipping into, and a change of tone is welcome from one story to another. We certainly get that. There are several stories with a strong dose of humour, including Scott Sigler's story about an unconventional supermarket exorcism, 'The Case of the Haunted Safeway'; Mercedes Lackey's entertaining yarn, 'False Knight on the Road' about a Prohibition era bootlegger getting into a motor race with the wrong person; and 'Hide and Shriek' in which Adam-Troy Castro plays fast and loose with the concept of apocalypse at the hands of a group of very mixed ability demons.
Brandon Sanderson's 'Dreamer' is a bloody and violent story, well paced and packed with action, as befits a 'capture the flag' challenge.
Of course, an anthology about the paranormal shouldn't be without its dark side, and we get that in spades, kicking off with 'Hide and Seek' by William Kent Krueger, a particularly nasty yet atmospheric telling of innocence lost and hope abused that left me looking for a kinder story to end the night on. If you like your horror uncompromising, this one's for you. Joe R Lansdale's 'Dead on the Bones' is another story of innocence lost, but it's treated in a very different manner. For me, this is one of the stand out stories of the anthology. The characters are well drawn, the setting is exotic enough to fascinate, and the protagonist is both sympathetic and appealing.
Moving on to team games, the dark theme continues with 'On The Playing Fields Of Blood' by Brendan Dubois, a well managed mixture of bloody history, lacrosse, revenge and betrayal across the centuries. Ellen Kushner tackles a similar idea in 'Prise de Fer'. The sport is fencing, the insult to be avenged is very personal, and the location has moved from the mountains of North America to a finishing school for young ladies in France, but the anger is the same. I particularly enjoyed Kushner's story for its technical details of the sport, and the very satisfying ending.
Vengeance is a hot topic, unsurprisingly in a book about competitive sports and games, and in Caitlin Kittridge's 'The Devil Went Down To Boston' we find a heroine with many good reasons to seek revenge on a world that has let her down too many times. Finding herself backed into a corner, she uses her talents and the skills she has learned in her chosen field to take on the ultimate player of games.
Jan Burke's 'Stepping into the Dead Zone' captured me almost from the first sentence. It's a beautiful story of friendship and loyalty, with a centrepiece school dodge ball game lovingly described in a way that sets the tone for the second part of the story. I got a sense of a world beyond this story, and would be interested in seeing it developed further.
At this late point in the proceedings, I will confess that I am a fan of paranormal fiction, especially the short form, but I have very little interest in sport. And yet, Seannan McGuire's 'Jammed' left me cheering on the young women in this Roller Derby story. The characters are a wild and lively mixture of normal and paranormal women, the challenge they face is made vivid and urgent, and the resolution is satisfying. This is another of the stories that turns the anthology into one for the shelves, because I want to re-read this story again and again. It's great fun, and the protagonist is a memorable one.
The penultimate story is Laura Lippman's 'Ice'. It's place in the book is between the mayhem of 'Hide and Shriek' and the fast paced 'Bell, Book and Candlepin'. It really does give the reader a chance to pause and gather energy before the final sprint to the end of the book. It's a quiet story, touching only gently on the sporting theme of this collection. It's a brilliant, heartbreaking little gem about the nature of story itself, and the manufacture of history at a very personal and local level. I loved it.
Games Creatures Play is out on 3rd April, published by Jo Fletcher Books.
A review by Jeanette Greaves
The game – produce an anthology of fifteen stories.
The rules – they must be short stories, they must include at least one supernatural creature such as a shapeshifter, fairy, vampire or ghost. They must include a strong element of a game or a sport. No author can contribute more than one story.
Go.
And thus was born 'Games Creatures Play' an anthology of fifteen stories, bracketed by Charlaine Harris's 'In The Blue Hereafter' at the beginning, and Toni L.P. Kelner's 'Bell, Book and Candlepin' at the end.
There is a great deal of variety in the stories, as you'd expect from such a wide brief. Some of the stories are all about the game or sport. Others, including those from the two editors, use the games as a background against which the story develops. Harris's story is a Sookie Stackhouse tale, nestled closely into the True Blood universe and its existing characters and mythos. It works nicely as a stand alone, whilst enticing a captured reader deeper into the bigger picture. Kelner's story works in a similar way, and I was surprised to find that it's only her second venture into this particular world of the Allaway Kith. There are some interesting ideas in this story, that I'd love to see explored further.
Most of the contributions to this collection are set in the approximate present of the 20th and the early 21st century. The exception is Dana Cameron's 'The God Games', a story about a man travelling to the Olympic Games of ancient Greece, on a vital mission. The games and the sports are richly and authoritatively described, but take a back seat to the plot and the characters.
Anthologies are made for dipping into, and a change of tone is welcome from one story to another. We certainly get that. There are several stories with a strong dose of humour, including Scott Sigler's story about an unconventional supermarket exorcism, 'The Case of the Haunted Safeway'; Mercedes Lackey's entertaining yarn, 'False Knight on the Road' about a Prohibition era bootlegger getting into a motor race with the wrong person; and 'Hide and Shriek' in which Adam-Troy Castro plays fast and loose with the concept of apocalypse at the hands of a group of very mixed ability demons.
Brandon Sanderson's 'Dreamer' is a bloody and violent story, well paced and packed with action, as befits a 'capture the flag' challenge.
Of course, an anthology about the paranormal shouldn't be without its dark side, and we get that in spades, kicking off with 'Hide and Seek' by William Kent Krueger, a particularly nasty yet atmospheric telling of innocence lost and hope abused that left me looking for a kinder story to end the night on. If you like your horror uncompromising, this one's for you. Joe R Lansdale's 'Dead on the Bones' is another story of innocence lost, but it's treated in a very different manner. For me, this is one of the stand out stories of the anthology. The characters are well drawn, the setting is exotic enough to fascinate, and the protagonist is both sympathetic and appealing.
Moving on to team games, the dark theme continues with 'On The Playing Fields Of Blood' by Brendan Dubois, a well managed mixture of bloody history, lacrosse, revenge and betrayal across the centuries. Ellen Kushner tackles a similar idea in 'Prise de Fer'. The sport is fencing, the insult to be avenged is very personal, and the location has moved from the mountains of North America to a finishing school for young ladies in France, but the anger is the same. I particularly enjoyed Kushner's story for its technical details of the sport, and the very satisfying ending.
Vengeance is a hot topic, unsurprisingly in a book about competitive sports and games, and in Caitlin Kittridge's 'The Devil Went Down To Boston' we find a heroine with many good reasons to seek revenge on a world that has let her down too many times. Finding herself backed into a corner, she uses her talents and the skills she has learned in her chosen field to take on the ultimate player of games.
Jan Burke's 'Stepping into the Dead Zone' captured me almost from the first sentence. It's a beautiful story of friendship and loyalty, with a centrepiece school dodge ball game lovingly described in a way that sets the tone for the second part of the story. I got a sense of a world beyond this story, and would be interested in seeing it developed further.
At this late point in the proceedings, I will confess that I am a fan of paranormal fiction, especially the short form, but I have very little interest in sport. And yet, Seannan McGuire's 'Jammed' left me cheering on the young women in this Roller Derby story. The characters are a wild and lively mixture of normal and paranormal women, the challenge they face is made vivid and urgent, and the resolution is satisfying. This is another of the stories that turns the anthology into one for the shelves, because I want to re-read this story again and again. It's great fun, and the protagonist is a memorable one.
The penultimate story is Laura Lippman's 'Ice'. It's place in the book is between the mayhem of 'Hide and Shriek' and the fast paced 'Bell, Book and Candlepin'. It really does give the reader a chance to pause and gather energy before the final sprint to the end of the book. It's a quiet story, touching only gently on the sporting theme of this collection. It's a brilliant, heartbreaking little gem about the nature of story itself, and the manufacture of history at a very personal and local level. I loved it.
Games Creatures Play is out on 3rd April, published by Jo Fletcher Books.
Want to read
November 7, 2016I'm not marking this anthology as read or giving it a rating yet because I've only read one of the short stories in it. I do plan to come back and finish it at some point but in the meantime here's my review of the story that I've read:
Read 6th November 2016:
Jammed by Seanan McGuire (Incryptid 2.3) - 3 stars
As much as I love the Incryptid series I just don't feel that connected to Antimony yet and her stories are the least interesting ones I've read so far, possibly because I'm a bit bored by all the roller derby references. Perhaps I'd find them more interesting if I was a roller derby fan but unfortunately I'm not.
This story has more action than the previous two though as Antimony has to team up with her Cryptid teammates to solve a murder. I think I'm just missing the family dynamics, we only really see Antimony interact with her cousin Elsie and I don't really like her all that much so even the phone conversations she has with Artie don't quite save it. I'm missing the Aeslin Mice too, it only just occurred to me that they've been completely absent from this series of short stories so far.
Read 6th November 2016:
Jammed by Seanan McGuire (Incryptid 2.3) - 3 stars
As much as I love the Incryptid series I just don't feel that connected to Antimony yet and her stories are the least interesting ones I've read so far, possibly because I'm a bit bored by all the roller derby references. Perhaps I'd find them more interesting if I was a roller derby fan but unfortunately I'm not.
This story has more action than the previous two though as Antimony has to team up with her Cryptid teammates to solve a murder. I think I'm just missing the family dynamics, we only really see Antimony interact with her cousin Elsie and I don't really like her all that much so even the phone conversations she has with Artie don't quite save it. I'm missing the Aeslin Mice too, it only just occurred to me that they've been completely absent from this series of short stories so far.
June 9, 2024
Nice to see Antimony again. I hope the next book is on Antimony. Roller derby sounds fun. Not sure if I would do it though.
Can't wait to see Antimony again.
06/08/24
I have finally finished this book. Quite good. Liked seeing all the different characters.
Can't wait to see Antimony again.
06/08/24
I have finally finished this book. Quite good. Liked seeing all the different characters.
March 18, 2020
The rating is for 'Jammed by Seanan McGuire
Read
April 30, 2020For now only read the story by Seanan McGuire Jammed as part of the Incryptid Series.
Full review will come once the rest of the book is read.
Full review will come once the rest of the book is read.
October 6, 2017
Review of Charlaine Harris - "In the Blue Hereafter" story ONLY.
April 12, 2014
Games Creatures Play is an entertaining anthology from fifteen contributors, with each short story featuring the unusual combination of the paranormal and sports.
Some of the authors didn't venture too far from their comfort zone. 'Into the Blue Hereafter' by Charlaine Harris is set at a softball game in Bon Temps, where Sookie Stackhouse and Manfred Bernado meet for the first time. Similarly Seanan McGuire doesn't stray far from the familiarity of her InCryptid series, 'Jammed,' in which a chimera is on the rampage during a Roller Derby, features Antimony Price. I enjoyed both stories in part at least because of my familiarity with the characters and their worlds.
My favourites included Scott Sigler's 'The Case of the Haunted Safeway', a ghostly tale of love and baseball which managed to be funny, sweet and a little bit spooky all at the same time, Jan Burke's 'Stepping into the Dead Zone' which portrays dodgeball as a test of loyalty and friendship, and 'Bell, Book and Candlepin' by Toni L. P. Kelner in which more than just the bowling balls are returned.
In Games Creatures Play you will find witches, monster stompers, faeries, Gods, ghosts and more, all playing to win and even though I have very little interest in sport in general, I really enjoyed this anthology. Get ready, get set and go... pick up a copy to read.
October 31, 2014
An anthology of 15 short stories revolving around the theme of games — and there’s some mighty fine stretching in here! There are also some mighty fine authors who are new to me in here as well. That TBR of my looks to be fallin’ over…aiyeeee…
Series:
Charlaine Harris - "In the Blue Hereafter" (Sookie Stackhouse, 13.xx and Harper Connelly, xx.5)
Mercedes Lackey - "False Knight on the Road" (SERRAted Edge, xx.5)
Seanan McGuire - "Jammed" (Incryptid, 2.3)
Toni L.P. Kelner - "Bell, Book, and Candlepin" (Allaway Kith, 2)
The Stories
Charlaine Harris’ "In the Blue Hereafter" finds a confused Manfredo Bernardo set a task by his dead psychic grandmother to go to Bon Temps for a softball game. She never has told him outright what he’s expected to accomplish, so it’s a game of guess as Manfred tries to figure it out. A game that’s helped when he meets the enigmatic Sookie Stackhouse.
William Kent Krueger’s "Hide and Seek" was nasty…just nasty as he leads you up the garden path with subtle hints about the truth behind the game of hide-and-seek. It’s a truth you don’t want to acknowledge with an ending that will horrify you.
Krueger left me in a bit of a limbo with that comment Cameron makes that’s almost as horrifying as the buyers at the end.
Jan Burke’s "Stepping into the Dead Zone" is a tale about military kids and bullies and the rules of fitting into a new school. It’s practical advice mixed up with a confusing tale of changelings and children who go missing.
Joe R. Lansdale’s "Dead on the Bones" is a sad Southern tale of betrayal and using the dead for amusement.
Caitlin Kittredge’s "The Devil Went Down to Boston" makes me think of Dennis Lehane with his working class neighborhoods and tough-talkin’ characters. She starts with making me hate one character and then leaves me wondering if I should before she progresses on to the real baddie. For a short story, Kittredge packs a punch with an entire story. It’s got the feel of a start for a series, one I want to read, even if Kittredge does have a backward way of writing. I do feel as though there’s a loose thread in here what with Doyle’s hope and Ellie’s avoidance. And I do have to wonder what’s keeping Ellie in Boston.
Brendan DuBois’ "On the Playing Fields of Blood" is a grim bargain the town of New Salem has made with a group of Native Americans. It’s a horror story of vengeance and should make you run any time you see a mist rise up and stretch its fingers out for you.
Dana Cameron’s "The God’s Games" was an unexpected trip back in history to the Greek Olympics with a different take on werewolves, oracles, and gods. Cameron has some interesting limitations on her characters in this and a very contemporary feel for the action in this. I felt as though the events were real.
Scott Sigler’s "The Case of the Haunted Safeway" will crack you up with its trashy family and its downhome philosophy as it confronts unexpected bigotry in this ghostly exorcism. I have got to put Sigler on my TBR! And hope he turns the Hunterson family into a series.
Ellen Kushner’s " Prise de Fer " was most unexpected with this bout of fencing in a private school in France. I enjoyed all but the end, which was most unsatisfactory. Nothing was resolved. The entire short was nothing but a blip in Isabelle Blumberg’s life. I do, however, want to read more Kushner.
Brandon Sanderson’s "Dreamer" will take you by the throat and make your heart hammer as the tension mounts and your fear almost takes over. It’s the ending that will kill ya. It made me so mad, I wanted to leap in and strangle someone. Sanderson was brilliant in this.
Mercedes Lackey’s "False Knight on the Road" was a pip. A spine-chilling tale of temptation and back road racing as Billy Ray Johnson finally figures out what he’s done and the trouble he’s in. That ending was a pip and left me both relieved…and annoyed, although not at Lackey, lol.
Seanan McGuire’s "Jammed" got my hopes raised as I finally got to read about the nasty, vicious Antimony Price. She’s not as bad as Verity or Alex made her out to be, although I did crack up at Antimony’s comment about roller derby jammin’ calming her down! This short is more about Antimony and her teammates working together to take down a supernatural murderer.
Adam-Troy Castro’s "Hide and Shriek" is definitely the weirdest story. It’s the extremely bored Elder Gods with the most gawdawful names, habits, and appearances, and the extremes to which they’ll go that Castro delivers in a deadpan, offhand manner. The best of this story was the quirky professor at the end and his extremely practical responses to the pneumatic women’s attempts to entice him.
Laura Lippman’s "Ice" is a sad tale of sibling abuse, lies, and drowning on Martin Luther King Day. It’s a folk tale that has made the rounds for years, and Mickey is about to discover how true it is.
Toni L.P. Kelner’s "Bell, Book, and Candlepin" is another that I’m hoping is part of a series — or will be *hope, hope, hope??* It features a still-learning witch in college with her dead-end job that provides her own calm…hmmm, reminds me of Antimony and her roller derby…with a wall of sound. A fun read that’s reminded me that I’ve enjoyed past Kelner short stories, and it’s about time I started in on her full-length novels, dagnabbit!
The Cover
The cover smacks you over the head with its bright greens in the sky, lightning zapping out to tap that dart tip the skeleton hand is holding in a battle between a hairy-clawed paw wielding a lacrosse stick versus a tentacle wrapped around a baseball bat, all sprouting up from a red and black checkerboard encasing the earth. The title is in a bright yellow between the arms above and a pair of dice below. Do ye fancy your luck in these games?
The title is a good one, for these are the Games Creatures Play — and I ain’t excludin’ the human creatures!
Series:
Charlaine Harris - "In the Blue Hereafter" (Sookie Stackhouse, 13.xx and Harper Connelly, xx.5)
Mercedes Lackey - "False Knight on the Road" (SERRAted Edge, xx.5)
Seanan McGuire - "Jammed" (Incryptid, 2.3)
Toni L.P. Kelner - "Bell, Book, and Candlepin" (Allaway Kith, 2)
The Stories
Charlaine Harris’ "In the Blue Hereafter" finds a confused Manfredo Bernardo set a task by his dead psychic grandmother to go to Bon Temps for a softball game. She never has told him outright what he’s expected to accomplish, so it’s a game of guess as Manfred tries to figure it out. A game that’s helped when he meets the enigmatic Sookie Stackhouse.
William Kent Krueger’s "Hide and Seek" was nasty…just nasty as he leads you up the garden path with subtle hints about the truth behind the game of hide-and-seek. It’s a truth you don’t want to acknowledge with an ending that will horrify you.
Krueger left me in a bit of a limbo with that comment Cameron makes that’s almost as horrifying as the buyers at the end.
Jan Burke’s "Stepping into the Dead Zone" is a tale about military kids and bullies and the rules of fitting into a new school. It’s practical advice mixed up with a confusing tale of changelings and children who go missing.
Joe R. Lansdale’s "Dead on the Bones" is a sad Southern tale of betrayal and using the dead for amusement.
Caitlin Kittredge’s "The Devil Went Down to Boston" makes me think of Dennis Lehane with his working class neighborhoods and tough-talkin’ characters. She starts with making me hate one character and then leaves me wondering if I should before she progresses on to the real baddie. For a short story, Kittredge packs a punch with an entire story. It’s got the feel of a start for a series, one I want to read, even if Kittredge does have a backward way of writing. I do feel as though there’s a loose thread in here what with Doyle’s hope and Ellie’s avoidance. And I do have to wonder what’s keeping Ellie in Boston.
Brendan DuBois’ "On the Playing Fields of Blood" is a grim bargain the town of New Salem has made with a group of Native Americans. It’s a horror story of vengeance and should make you run any time you see a mist rise up and stretch its fingers out for you.
Dana Cameron’s "The God’s Games" was an unexpected trip back in history to the Greek Olympics with a different take on werewolves, oracles, and gods. Cameron has some interesting limitations on her characters in this and a very contemporary feel for the action in this. I felt as though the events were real.
Scott Sigler’s "The Case of the Haunted Safeway" will crack you up with its trashy family and its downhome philosophy as it confronts unexpected bigotry in this ghostly exorcism. I have got to put Sigler on my TBR! And hope he turns the Hunterson family into a series.
Ellen Kushner’s " Prise de Fer " was most unexpected with this bout of fencing in a private school in France. I enjoyed all but the end, which was most unsatisfactory. Nothing was resolved. The entire short was nothing but a blip in Isabelle Blumberg’s life. I do, however, want to read more Kushner.
Brandon Sanderson’s "Dreamer" will take you by the throat and make your heart hammer as the tension mounts and your fear almost takes over. It’s the ending that will kill ya. It made me so mad, I wanted to leap in and strangle someone. Sanderson was brilliant in this.
Mercedes Lackey’s "False Knight on the Road" was a pip. A spine-chilling tale of temptation and back road racing as Billy Ray Johnson finally figures out what he’s done and the trouble he’s in. That ending was a pip and left me both relieved…and annoyed, although not at Lackey, lol.
Seanan McGuire’s "Jammed" got my hopes raised as I finally got to read about the nasty, vicious Antimony Price. She’s not as bad as Verity or Alex made her out to be, although I did crack up at Antimony’s comment about roller derby jammin’ calming her down! This short is more about Antimony and her teammates working together to take down a supernatural murderer.
Adam-Troy Castro’s "Hide and Shriek" is definitely the weirdest story. It’s the extremely bored Elder Gods with the most gawdawful names, habits, and appearances, and the extremes to which they’ll go that Castro delivers in a deadpan, offhand manner. The best of this story was the quirky professor at the end and his extremely practical responses to the pneumatic women’s attempts to entice him.
Laura Lippman’s "Ice" is a sad tale of sibling abuse, lies, and drowning on Martin Luther King Day. It’s a folk tale that has made the rounds for years, and Mickey is about to discover how true it is.
Toni L.P. Kelner’s "Bell, Book, and Candlepin" is another that I’m hoping is part of a series — or will be *hope, hope, hope??* It features a still-learning witch in college with her dead-end job that provides her own calm…hmmm, reminds me of Antimony and her roller derby…with a wall of sound. A fun read that’s reminded me that I’ve enjoyed past Kelner short stories, and it’s about time I started in on her full-length novels, dagnabbit!
The Cover
The cover smacks you over the head with its bright greens in the sky, lightning zapping out to tap that dart tip the skeleton hand is holding in a battle between a hairy-clawed paw wielding a lacrosse stick versus a tentacle wrapped around a baseball bat, all sprouting up from a red and black checkerboard encasing the earth. The title is in a bright yellow between the arms above and a pair of dice below. Do ye fancy your luck in these games?
The title is a good one, for these are the Games Creatures Play — and I ain’t excludin’ the human creatures!
August 19, 2018
3 1/2 stars Only read "Jammed" by Seanan McGuire so far.
So Annie is now a part of the roller derby team. This was her natural go to after cheerleader in high school. She wanted to have a family of sorts, that seem to care and stick together as she seems to be an after though to her parents. There are some Incryptids on the teams and in the stands so when one of the members of the other team is found dead, Annie recognizes it as an attack by an incryptid. Now they have to come after the police leave to hunt and they have to tell some of the other players the truth about the supernatural around them.
pretty good short and it shows a lot of who Annie is before we meet her in her own book.
So Annie is now a part of the roller derby team. This was her natural go to after cheerleader in high school. She wanted to have a family of sorts, that seem to care and stick together as she seems to be an after though to her parents. There are some Incryptids on the teams and in the stands so when one of the members of the other team is found dead, Annie recognizes it as an attack by an incryptid. Now they have to come after the police leave to hunt and they have to tell some of the other players the truth about the supernatural around them.
pretty good short and it shows a lot of who Annie is before we meet her in her own book.
May 18, 2021
Quite a diverse set of stories collected here. Every story by a different author dealing with a different sport. A softball game sent Manfred Bernardo off to Texas for the Midnight stories after an encounter with Sookie Stackhouse. Then there were the very nasty games of hide and seek and capture the flag. Greek Olympic games with murder and divine intervention. A ghostly baseball game in a California Safeway. A soul bet on a game of darts in Boston while boot skating was the thing in Baltimore. Bowling, lacrosse, roller derby, and drag racing round off the tales. Todd Haberskorn and Kate Rudd did a very nice job of narrating these tales. So if you want to be entertained, feel free to pick up this collection and dive in!
July 19, 2020
Jammed only
July 6, 2021
Meet the family
I will begin by explaining what I'm reviewing here. Seanan McGuire has written a lot of short stories in The Incryptid Series. You can find a couple dozen of the older ones listed on the Incryptid Short Stories page on her web site. (Note, she has also published many stories through her Patreon site. They are not listed on the the Incryptid Short Stories page on her website, although many of them are listed in her bibliography.)
The stories are divided into groups, which can be divided into two supergoups: those that occur before Half-Off Ragnarok, and those that occur after. The first supergroup mostly concerns the early backstory of the Healy/Price family in the USA. The post-Half-Off Ragnarok stories are about the present-day (more or less -- 21st century) Prices and cryptids. It is this second group that I'm reviewing here. BE WARNED: spoilers for Half-Off Ragnarok follow.
These are the stories in question:
Verity Price and Dominic De Luca:
The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, free download from McGuire's web site
Snake in the Glass, free download from McGuire's web site
Swamp Bromeliad, free download from McGuire's web site
Waking Up In Vegas, free download from McGuire's web site
Antimony Price:
Blocked, free download from McGuire's web site
Bad Dream Girl, in the Anthology Glitter & Mayhem
Jammed, in the Anthology Games Creatures Play
Survival Horror, in the Anthology Press Start to Play
Sarah Zellaby and Arthur Harrington
IM, free download from McGuire's web site
Istas and Ryan
Red as Snow, in Anthology Hex in the City
Black as Blood, free download from McGuire's web site
White as a Raven's Wing, free download from McGuire's web site
Eliza
Balance, in Anthology Urban Enemies
The Verity and Dominic stories all take place after Half-Off Ragnarok and reflect the state of things as they were left at the end of that book. Half-Off Ragnarok had two main consequences for the future of the Incryptid world: Dominic De Luca is now irrevocably committed to Verity and severed from the Covenant. In fact, the Covenant believes he is dead, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Sarah, who damaged herself modifying the memories of the participants in Half-Off Ragnarok. So, there are the promised spoilers: Verity and Dominic are now a couple (this will come as a surprise to precisely no one), and Sarah has hurt herself badly.
Verity and Dominic are driving from New York to Portland in a rented U-Haul truck so that Dominic can be introduced to Verity's family. They are driving because Verity has a colony of Aeslin mice to transport -- not easily accomplished by air. Also, Verity is taking the scenic route, to introduce Dominic to various folks. The first story in this series, The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, is a crossover, in that it also belongs to McGuire's Ghost Road series -- you meet Rose Marshall, the main character of those books. Some other old friends show up: the Carmichael hotel in Chicago, and the Swamp Bromeliad in Buckley Township, Michigan. This series of stories ends as intended, with Verity introducing Dominic to her family in Portland.
Most of the Antimony stories have no obvious relation to the events of Half-Off Ragnarok. One may suppose they occur before that. If you have read the first three Incryptid novels you have sort-of been introduced to Antimony, because she features heavily in Verity's recollections of growing up, as the annoying little sister who excelled in such Price family staple skills as extreme survival, setting traps, and demolition. Now, introduced to Antimony in person, we see that she has complementary memories of Verity and Alex as the older siblings who her parents (in Antimony's view) always seemed to value more than her. Antimony becomes a roller-derby skater in these stories. A word about the anthologies: I read only one non-McGuire story. Several reviewers of Glitter & Mayhem, mentioned the story about the dancing princesses, so I read that on, too. It was OK. Jammed appeared in Games Creatures Play, which appears to be out of print. I couldn't easily get a copy, so I listened to the audiobook version. Survival Horror is in the Anthology Press Start to Play -- I read none of the other stories. The Antimony stores were a fun intro to Antimony, whom I now look forward to encountering in the novels. They also introduce her cousin Elsinor Harrington, whose father is an incubus, making Elsie a succubus.
That brings us to Antimony's other cousin, Elsie's brother Arthur (Artie). We have actually heard quite a bit about Artie in the novels because he and Sarah are hopelessly in love, and Verity also tends to phone Artie when she needs geek skills. IM is really all about whether Sarah is going to recover.
Istas is a kind of fun character. We met her in the Verity Price novels, where she works as a cocktail waitress at the place where Verity works, and fights at Verity's side. She's a sort of werewolf/werebear (as is her main squeeze Ryan). But what's fun about her is her very direct, uncomplicated way of thinking and speaking.
The final story, Balance, is about a cuckoo who, as far as I know, appears nowhere else in the Incryptid world. I didn't enjoy this story as much as the rest.
In summary, these stories are a good way to meet the Price/Harrington families. I give them four stars, except for Balance, which rates only three.
I will begin by explaining what I'm reviewing here. Seanan McGuire has written a lot of short stories in The Incryptid Series. You can find a couple dozen of the older ones listed on the Incryptid Short Stories page on her web site. (Note, she has also published many stories through her Patreon site. They are not listed on the the Incryptid Short Stories page on her website, although many of them are listed in her bibliography.)
The stories are divided into groups, which can be divided into two supergoups: those that occur before Half-Off Ragnarok, and those that occur after. The first supergroup mostly concerns the early backstory of the Healy/Price family in the USA. The post-Half-Off Ragnarok stories are about the present-day (more or less -- 21st century) Prices and cryptids. It is this second group that I'm reviewing here. BE WARNED: spoilers for Half-Off Ragnarok follow.
These are the stories in question:
Verity Price and Dominic De Luca:
The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, free download from McGuire's web site
Snake in the Glass, free download from McGuire's web site
Swamp Bromeliad, free download from McGuire's web site
Waking Up In Vegas, free download from McGuire's web site
Antimony Price:
Blocked, free download from McGuire's web site
Bad Dream Girl, in the Anthology Glitter & Mayhem
Jammed, in the Anthology Games Creatures Play
Survival Horror, in the Anthology Press Start to Play
Sarah Zellaby and Arthur Harrington
IM, free download from McGuire's web site
Istas and Ryan
Red as Snow, in Anthology Hex in the City
Black as Blood, free download from McGuire's web site
White as a Raven's Wing, free download from McGuire's web site
Eliza
Balance, in Anthology Urban Enemies
The Verity and Dominic stories all take place after Half-Off Ragnarok and reflect the state of things as they were left at the end of that book. Half-Off Ragnarok had two main consequences for the future of the Incryptid world: Dominic De Luca is now irrevocably committed to Verity and severed from the Covenant. In fact, the Covenant believes he is dead, thanks to the extraordinary efforts of Sarah, who damaged herself modifying the memories of the participants in Half-Off Ragnarok. So, there are the promised spoilers: Verity and Dominic are now a couple (this will come as a surprise to precisely no one), and Sarah has hurt herself badly.
Verity and Dominic are driving from New York to Portland in a rented U-Haul truck so that Dominic can be introduced to Verity's family. They are driving because Verity has a colony of Aeslin mice to transport -- not easily accomplished by air. Also, Verity is taking the scenic route, to introduce Dominic to various folks. The first story in this series, The Ghosts of Bourbon Street, is a crossover, in that it also belongs to McGuire's Ghost Road series -- you meet Rose Marshall, the main character of those books. Some other old friends show up: the Carmichael hotel in Chicago, and the Swamp Bromeliad in Buckley Township, Michigan. This series of stories ends as intended, with Verity introducing Dominic to her family in Portland.
Most of the Antimony stories have no obvious relation to the events of Half-Off Ragnarok. One may suppose they occur before that. If you have read the first three Incryptid novels you have sort-of been introduced to Antimony, because she features heavily in Verity's recollections of growing up, as the annoying little sister who excelled in such Price family staple skills as extreme survival, setting traps, and demolition. Now, introduced to Antimony in person, we see that she has complementary memories of Verity and Alex as the older siblings who her parents (in Antimony's view) always seemed to value more than her. Antimony becomes a roller-derby skater in these stories. A word about the anthologies: I read only one non-McGuire story. Several reviewers of Glitter & Mayhem, mentioned the story about the dancing princesses, so I read that on, too. It was OK. Jammed appeared in Games Creatures Play, which appears to be out of print. I couldn't easily get a copy, so I listened to the audiobook version. Survival Horror is in the Anthology Press Start to Play -- I read none of the other stories. The Antimony stores were a fun intro to Antimony, whom I now look forward to encountering in the novels. They also introduce her cousin Elsinor Harrington, whose father is an incubus, making Elsie a succubus.
That brings us to Antimony's other cousin, Elsie's brother Arthur (Artie). We have actually heard quite a bit about Artie in the novels because he and Sarah are hopelessly in love, and Verity also tends to phone Artie when she needs geek skills. IM is really all about whether Sarah is going to recover.
Istas is a kind of fun character. We met her in the Verity Price novels, where she works as a cocktail waitress at the place where Verity works, and fights at Verity's side. She's a sort of werewolf/werebear (as is her main squeeze Ryan). But what's fun about her is her very direct, uncomplicated way of thinking and speaking.
The final story, Balance, is about a cuckoo who, as far as I know, appears nowhere else in the Incryptid world. I didn't enjoy this story as much as the rest.
In summary, these stories are a good way to meet the Price/Harrington families. I give them four stars, except for Balance, which rates only three.
October 29, 2021
Synopsis- Everyone plays something - whether it's solitaire or squash or stockcar racing, World of Warcraft or World Wrestling Entertainment tournaments, darts or dodgeball. Games bring out the best in us, the worst in us, the thing-we-never-expected in us. Human beings just naturally like to test their limits, both mental and physical - and why should the supernaturals be any different?
In their latest anthology international superstar Charlaine Harris and award-winning mystery writer Toni Kelner have collected stories that feature ghostly players, bloodthirsty interruptions, and competitions with deadly outcomes, from some of the top writers in the fantasy, horror, crime and mystery genres. Game on!
Review- This is a fairly decent collection of sports/games themed paranormal fantasy. The ones that stuck out the most to me were the ones not written by authors I've read. In fact, the ones I most looked forward to were the weakest. The Sookie story is okay. The Maguire one was tedious. Sanderson's story of ghosts playing in human bodies was not my thing. My favourites were Hide and Seek, a creepy ghost story about abusive siblings running a children's home; Dead on the Bones, a vengeance story set in the old timey South; The Case of the Haunted Safeway, a rather fun ghost hunting story; and Hide and Shriek, another funny story about a game three cruel Gods play to relieve boredom.
If you want some paranormal short stories, I think this is a good choice.
Rating - Three surpisingly good new to me authors stars. ⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
⭐⭐ - Meh
⭐ - Absolute drivel
In their latest anthology international superstar Charlaine Harris and award-winning mystery writer Toni Kelner have collected stories that feature ghostly players, bloodthirsty interruptions, and competitions with deadly outcomes, from some of the top writers in the fantasy, horror, crime and mystery genres. Game on!
Review- This is a fairly decent collection of sports/games themed paranormal fantasy. The ones that stuck out the most to me were the ones not written by authors I've read. In fact, the ones I most looked forward to were the weakest. The Sookie story is okay. The Maguire one was tedious. Sanderson's story of ghosts playing in human bodies was not my thing. My favourites were Hide and Seek, a creepy ghost story about abusive siblings running a children's home; Dead on the Bones, a vengeance story set in the old timey South; The Case of the Haunted Safeway, a rather fun ghost hunting story; and Hide and Shriek, another funny story about a game three cruel Gods play to relieve boredom.
If you want some paranormal short stories, I think this is a good choice.
Rating - Three surpisingly good new to me authors stars. ⭐⭐⭐
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Devoured the book, couldn't put it down.
⭐⭐⭐⭐ - Really liked it, consumed within days
⭐⭐⭐ - Enjoyed a fair bit, better than average
⭐⭐ - Meh
⭐ - Absolute drivel
July 23, 2014
Perhaps because the theme of this anthology was more innocuous than that of the previous anthology I read, Dangerous Women, this one felt a little more even.
There are several stories that probably make more sense if you've read the author in question's series. "False Knight on the Road" is kind of inexplicable if you're unfamiliar with Mercedes Lackey's Serrated Edge, and "In the Blue Hereafter" clearly lacked resonance for me because I haven't read Sookie Stackhouse.
There's nothing that really stands out, but also nothing really objectionable. I appreciated "Hide and Shriek"'s Lovecraftian pastiche, especially the ending twist, and "The Case of the Haunted Safeway" was surprisingly sweet, even if I saw the twist coming a mile away. "Jammed" was a fun dip into roller derby and "Bell, Book and Candlepin" was equally amusing for candlepin bowling.
Basically, if you like the series of a couple of the authors included, you'll probably enjoy this. But even if you haven't, it's pleasant enough.
There are several stories that probably make more sense if you've read the author in question's series. "False Knight on the Road" is kind of inexplicable if you're unfamiliar with Mercedes Lackey's Serrated Edge, and "In the Blue Hereafter" clearly lacked resonance for me because I haven't read Sookie Stackhouse.
There's nothing that really stands out, but also nothing really objectionable. I appreciated "Hide and Shriek"'s Lovecraftian pastiche, especially the ending twist, and "The Case of the Haunted Safeway" was surprisingly sweet, even if I saw the twist coming a mile away. "Jammed" was a fun dip into roller derby and "Bell, Book and Candlepin" was equally amusing for candlepin bowling.
Basically, if you like the series of a couple of the authors included, you'll probably enjoy this. But even if you haven't, it's pleasant enough.
June 4, 2014
I'm glad I got this from the library. Of all the stories, just two were OK and the rest uninteresting.
All stories featured games of chance and had supernatural elements.
The first one by Charlaine Harris takes place in Bon Temps and starred Sookie and several new characters. This was mildly entertaining.
The second story I liked was by Mercedes Lackey and was in the world of Serrated Edge I think; the one with Fairies and auto racing.
I simply could not get into any of the other stories, even one by a favorite author Seanan McGuire that supposedly takes place in the incrypted universe.
Save your money and borrow this or buy it used.
All stories featured games of chance and had supernatural elements.
The first one by Charlaine Harris takes place in Bon Temps and starred Sookie and several new characters. This was mildly entertaining.
The second story I liked was by Mercedes Lackey and was in the world of Serrated Edge I think; the one with Fairies and auto racing.
I simply could not get into any of the other stories, even one by a favorite author Seanan McGuire that supposedly takes place in the incrypted universe.
Save your money and borrow this or buy it used.
October 12, 2017
HIDE AND SHRIEK BY ADAM-TROY CASTRO 3.5/5
I read this a second time on June 3,2017 just for $h!ts and giggles. I just couldn't put myself through an entire novel today, and I recalled that this short story was really good.
DREAMER BY BRANDON SANDERSON 4/5
This was so good for a short story. I wouldn't mind a full novel centered around this main character.
ON THE PLAYING FIELDS OF BLOOD BY BRENDAN DEBOIS 2.5/5
I didn't really care for this story. Most Native American tribes didn't have this attitude towards women, nor would they stop a Warrior Woman. Just saying.
I read this a second time on June 3,2017 just for $h!ts and giggles. I just couldn't put myself through an entire novel today, and I recalled that this short story was really good.
DREAMER BY BRANDON SANDERSON 4/5
This was so good for a short story. I wouldn't mind a full novel centered around this main character.
ON THE PLAYING FIELDS OF BLOOD BY BRENDAN DEBOIS 2.5/5
I didn't really care for this story. Most Native American tribes didn't have this attitude towards women, nor would they stop a Warrior Woman. Just saying.
February 4, 2017
Rating only Seanan McGuire's Jammed.
April 8, 2014
I only read the Brandon Sanderson and Seanan McGuire stories but they were awesome! Sanderson's was interesting and fresh, set in none of his current worlds. McGuire's was another in the awesome Incryptid universe with POV character Antimony Price. Very, very fun!
February 7, 2017
Picked this up for the Seanan McGuire story, but I ended up thoroughly enjoying all the rest too. The only reason it took a while to read is due to my "snacking" style of reading anthologies - no criticism of the content at all. I've also come out with a few other series to check out :)
April 3, 2014
Really just read the Sookie Stackhouse short story - my only reason for buying this book :P
April 15, 2014
As usual, a few really good stories, one or two pretty bad stories, and a lot of decent stories. Forgettable, but fun.
January 30, 2015
There are some really good stories, yes I admit it I like Sookie Stackhouse, but the first story isn't my favourite, think my favourite would be stepping into the dead zone.
June 15, 2016
I read this primarily for Seanan McGuire's Jammed but I also read Charlaine Harris's In the Blue Hereafter and Mercedes Lackey's False Knight on the Road! All were good reads!
to-read-anthologies
November 28, 2019✔️Charlaine Harris- "In the Blue Hereafter" (Sookie Stackhouse)
May 22, 2020
Average Rating: 3.6*
In the Blue Hereafter I did not actually read this book because the Sookie Stackhouse novels are on my books to read list and I didn't want to spoil myself. Will update once I get to that part in the series.
Hide and Seek this was really great. A story of love and sacrifice, and while I didn't especially love the ending with the real estate agent and the couple, it did draw a nice parallel with Cameron and (4*)
Stepping into the Dead Zone This was another really good story. (4.5*)
Dead on the Bones This is the second Lansdale short story I've read, and so far I've more or less liked them. It was really had to place how old the MC was - sometimes I thought pre/early teens bot other times he didn't talk like a kid at all, so who knows. overall enjoyable, if not a little Hamlet-y. (3.5*)
The Devil Went Down to Boston Well-written, and a lot crammed into such a short story. I'll hope for a sequel someday. (4*)
On the Playing Fields of Blood Sexist, savage Indians play a game, get pissed off when someone deigns to score against them, and then murder the poor, innocent white people. Such groundbreaking originality. (1*)
The God's Game I'm hardly a historian, but this was a mostly well-written story with lots of fun historical tidbits thrown in. THe pacing seemed a little off (a little took quick), but overall it was very enjoyable. (4*)
The Case of the Haunted Safeway I don't really know how I feel about this. I got the feeling that maybe it was trying to be funny, but it wasn't. And for most of it, I really hated the MC. But it was nice to see him grow and his opinions change, and it was a sweet story overall. (3.5*)
Prise De Fer This was my favourite story in the collection. It was well-written and surprisingly charming. The language was immersive, and I very much enjoyed the interaction between Isabelle and Honoré. A not-quite-happy ending, which only served to make it more enjoyable. (5*)
Dreamer As I was reading the story, I remember thinking that the MC didn't seem much better than Phi; The twist at the end was really well done. I enjoyed this quite a lot. (4.5*)
False Knight on the Road I didn't love the writing style, but it wasn't out of place. (3.5*)
Jammed This story was written closer to the style of the main series than the other short stories I've read, but I didn't really love it. Antimony just sounded too much like Verity, but with derby references instead of dance references (some of them seemingly incorrect. I've never seen a derby whip-chain and I can't picture it working? I'm willing to be corrected on this though). The story and the fight seemed weaker than normal too. (3.5*)
Hide and Shriek I was ready to criticize this story as being a touch altiloquent, but you know, it kind of worked for it in a strange kind of absurd way. The story was pretty funny overall; there were definitely parts where I actually laughed out loud. (3.5*)
Ice I did enjoy the bookends of Atheena's story and the There was something uncomfortable with the way race was used in this story though. (3*)
Bell, Book nad Candlepin There was something about the writing style that did not jive with me at all. There was no real flow, I guess. It just seemed really choppy. The story was okay, but not great, but Jake was a great character. (2.5*)
In the Blue Hereafter I did not actually read this book because the Sookie Stackhouse novels are on my books to read list and I didn't want to spoil myself. Will update once I get to that part in the series.
Hide and Seek this was really great. A story of love and sacrifice, and while I didn't especially love the ending with the real estate agent and the couple, it did draw a nice parallel with Cameron and (4*)
Stepping into the Dead Zone This was another really good story. (4.5*)
Dead on the Bones This is the second Lansdale short story I've read, and so far I've more or less liked them. It was really had to place how old the MC was - sometimes I thought pre/early teens bot other times he didn't talk like a kid at all, so who knows. overall enjoyable, if not a little Hamlet-y. (3.5*)
The Devil Went Down to Boston Well-written, and a lot crammed into such a short story. I'll hope for a sequel someday. (4*)
On the Playing Fields of Blood Sexist, savage Indians play a game, get pissed off when someone deigns to score against them, and then murder the poor, innocent white people. Such groundbreaking originality. (1*)
The God's Game I'm hardly a historian, but this was a mostly well-written story with lots of fun historical tidbits thrown in. THe pacing seemed a little off (a little took quick), but overall it was very enjoyable. (4*)
The Case of the Haunted Safeway I don't really know how I feel about this. I got the feeling that maybe it was trying to be funny, but it wasn't. And for most of it, I really hated the MC. But it was nice to see him grow and his opinions change, and it was a sweet story overall. (3.5*)
Prise De Fer This was my favourite story in the collection. It was well-written and surprisingly charming. The language was immersive, and I very much enjoyed the interaction between Isabelle and Honoré. A not-quite-happy ending, which only served to make it more enjoyable. (5*)
Dreamer As I was reading the story, I remember thinking that the MC didn't seem much better than Phi; The twist at the end was really well done. I enjoyed this quite a lot. (4.5*)
False Knight on the Road I didn't love the writing style, but it wasn't out of place. (3.5*)
Jammed This story was written closer to the style of the main series than the other short stories I've read, but I didn't really love it. Antimony just sounded too much like Verity, but with derby references instead of dance references (some of them seemingly incorrect. I've never seen a derby whip-chain and I can't picture it working? I'm willing to be corrected on this though). The story and the fight seemed weaker than normal too. (3.5*)
Hide and Shriek I was ready to criticize this story as being a touch altiloquent, but you know, it kind of worked for it in a strange kind of absurd way. The story was pretty funny overall; there were definitely parts where I actually laughed out loud. (3.5*)
Ice I did enjoy the bookends of Atheena's story and the There was something uncomfortable with the way race was used in this story though. (3*)
Bell, Book nad Candlepin There was something about the writing style that did not jive with me at all. There was no real flow, I guess. It just seemed really choppy. The story was okay, but not great, but Jake was a great character. (2.5*)
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